Blood Ravens
The Blood Ravens are a notorious Chaos Warband originating from the Loyalist Thousand Sons Legion who are wholly dedicated to the service of the Chaos God Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. This Warband has always been drawn to the pursuit of knowledge claiming it to be a grand source of power while producing an unusually large amount of Sorcerers compared to other Tzeentchian Warbands and, just like their primogenitors, have neophytes who develop psychic powers soon after their implantation with the Blood Ravens' gene-seed organs. The corrupt, yet powerful sorcerers of the Blood Ravens lead their Rubrics, enabling them to crush their enemies with utmost precision only made possible by the dark knowledge that enables the sorcerers to predict each and every step in the enemy's battle plan. After the destruction of their homeworld Aurelia the Blood Ravens became a fleet-based Warband, allowing them to bring Tzeentch's fury to his enemies faster than ever before. Warband History The Blood Ravens originated from the rebellious members of the Corvidae Cult, a cult within the Thousand Sons Legion. Lead by Librarian Azariah Vidya, these rebels joined the Arch-Traitor Rogal Dorn's cause during the Dornian Heresy, lured by the promise of a cure for the dreaded "Flesh Change" that had been haunting their Legion for so long. However, their rebellion was not openly showcased until the Space Wolves attacked the Thousand Sons Legion homeworld of Prospero. Burning of Prospero Though the rest of the Legion was unaware, Azariah Vidya and his followers had been plotting what they would do when the Wolves came to raze Prospero. Although running away from the Wolves was considered as an option, Azariah Vidya soon discarded the idea on the basis that it would make them look cowardly to the Space Wolves and, even worse, to their own Legion. Deciding that the easiest and most honorable option was to wait for the inevitable arrival of Russ and his Wolves before turning on their brothers, Azariah Vidya and his followers moved to their positions and waited for the servants of Khorne. The moment the first Space Wolves Drop Pod hit the ground, the bolter fire coming from the traitorous members of the Corvidae Cult was the first indication the Thousand Sons had of the dark path their cousins and even their own brothers walked down. Though reluctant to keep the traitorous members of the Corvidae Cult alive, the Space Wolves left Azariah Vidya's traitors mostly untouched and allowed them to continue killing their own brothers. This was when Magistus Amon, the 9th Fellowship Captain's undying hatred garnered for the rival Librarian Azariah Vidya grew a thousand-fold, as he watched the traitorous Thousand Son relentlessly murder his own brothers in order to aid the Space Wolves. When the Wolves were driven off of Prospero however, they left Azariah and his traitorous followers on the planet in the faint hope that they would be killed off by the loyalist remnants. Azariah, anticipating the betrayal from the Wolves, had prepared an unknown Strike Cruiser for himself and his followers to flee Prospero with. With their safety assured and more than a thousand Battle-Brothers ready to serve his cause and embrace the Ruinous Powers, Azariah Vidya and his followers marched their stolen Strike Cruiser to the Phalanx to join the Traitor's cause in their battle against the Emperor. Aboard the Phalanx After the slaughter they carried out on Prospero alongside the Space Wolves, Azariah and his followers, now calling themselves the Blood Ravens, made the long journey to rendezvous with Rogal Dorn's forces, but their journey was not an easy one, as massive Warp Storms blocked off large portions of the known galaxy making travel dangerous and communications almost non-existent. Eventually, Azariah and his cohorts found their way to the Segmentum Solar, and arrived aboard the Phalanx just as the final epic battle known as the Siege of Terra commenced. It was their hope that they would be of assistance to the Traitor forces one way or the other. Learning that the Emperor had already boarded the Phalanx and was making a beeline towards the Rogal Dorn to confront him, the Blood Ravens spread out their forces to help the traitor forces on all fronts as a gesture of kindness, but mostly to make sure the traitors went along with the deal. However, the Blood Ravens had spread themselves too thin and were losing to the Loyalists more than they were winning. Though stubborn, the Blood Ravens would flee the scene when they learned that Rogal Dorn had fallen. Taking many of the Traitors seeking refuge with them, the disheartened Blood Ravens left, burdened by the knowledge that the pact would never go through, and that they would never get the cure for the Flesh Change, as promised, by the Imperial Fists. After the Heresy During their flight from the Phalanx, the Blood Ravens would find the Hive World of Aurelia and claim it as their new homeworld. This grand news would come at a cost however, as the Flesh Change was not only still ever-present, but it was worsening each and every day. Seeking to cure his brothers of their affliction, Azariah Vidya gathered the most powerful Sorcerers and Librarians under his command and delved into the sorcerous knowledge within the Book of Magnus, to possibly find a solution to the Flesh Change. Distilling the colossal collections of formulae, incantations and rites, and infusing the results with his own hatred of Magnus and angst at the fate of his Legion, Azariah Vidya devised the canvas of a mighty arcane spell that would ultimately undo all the woe that had befallen his Battle-Brothers and thus protect them from the "flesh-change" for all eternity. Preliminary testing of the spell he called the Rubric of Azariah generated great promise, but he quickly discovered that he lacked the raw power required to achieve permanent results. He then set to work gathering those amongst the remaining officers of the Blood Ravens who, like him, were disgusted by what had befallen their Legion and their Primarch. Gathering in a fell circle around Azariah Vidya, this cabal of Sorcerers lent their power to Azariah, who then unleashed the full potential of his desperate spell. The Rubric manifested itself as an immense storm of arcane power that engulfed Aurelia in an etheric hurricane of multi-coloured clouds. Daemons who witnessed the phenomenon fled into the deep Warp for their very existences, as the abomination unleashed by Azariah could snuff out even their immortal essence. Once fully empowered, the maelstrom of energies fell upon the Blood Ravens as bolts of lightning. Those amongst them that were psykers absorbed the lightning and had their psychic powers drastically augmented. However, the majority of Battle-Brothers of the Legion who lacked the psychic gift could not deal with the cataclysmic amounts of sorcerous energy which poured into them. Their flesh burned on the spot, their bodies reduced to ash inside their armour. And yet, the energies released sealed all the joints of their power armour as it burned their bodies. When their souls attempted to depart their ruined bodies, they found themselves trapped inside their armour; dead, yet still alive, without a body but unchanging for all eternity. To those Blood Ravens that survived the attentions of the spell, the ordeal was far from over. They could feel their brethren being utterly consumed through the psychic link that united them. In the aftermath of the cataclysm, it became clear that the Rubric had either succeeded beyond all possible expectations or failed abominably, depending on how one looked at it. Instead of purging the flesh of ravening mutations, each of the Blood Ravens had been transformed. The seals and joints of their Power Armour had been welded shut, and the body within turned to ashes. What remained was a suit of animated armour, devoid of mutation, but of all sentience and will as well. Azariah Vidya had created what would later be known as the Rubric Marines. Azariah himself, along with most of his cabal, was ecstatic: his brethren were now as he intended, protected from the "flesh-change," and the fact that they paid for this protection with the destruction of their physical bodies was in his eyes an acceptable price to pay. The Destruction of Aurelia Though there were Blood Raven officers still disgusted and confused by the casting of the Rubric, they would re-unite when the 9th Fellowship, under the command of Magistus Amon, marched to their homeworld, intending on getting rid of the first and last traitors from the Thousand Sons Legion. When Amon and his Fellowship fell upon the planet, they were terrified when they witnessed their former brothers autonomously unleashed a torrent of unholy bolter fire without a second thought. After being outnumbered and outgunned by the Rubric Marines under Azariah's command, Amon fell protecting the escape routes of his Fellowship and had his armour looted by a Blood Ravens Sorcerer. Taking command, an unknown Thousand Sons Astartes decided that utilizing Exterminatus upon Aurelia was the only way to defeat the Blood Ravens before they crushed what remained of the Loyalist Thousand Sons Legion. Azariah had expected this however and had his Cabal of Sorcerers prepare a grand teleportation ritual to teleport all Blood Ravens, including their slaves and daemons, off of Aurelia and back to the Battle Barge they now referred to as The Litany of Fury. As the Thousand Sons silently watched what they thought were their traitorous kin being set ablaze by the orbital bombardment, the Blood Ravens cackled at the foolishness of their former brothers. Repainting Amon's armor, Azariah Vidya adorned himself in it to insult what remained of his loyalist brethren. Warband Homeworld Fortress-Monastery Notable Campaigns * Fall of the Black Fortress of Vespa (ca. 500.M41) - Fellowship Captain Davian Thule, later commander of the Chapter's 4th Fellowship, first came to prominence when he slew the Imperial Psyker Morganna in the Black Fortress of Vespa. * Cleansing of Obscurus (Unknown Date.M41) - Fellowship Captain Apollo Diomedes had commanded the Blood Ravens elite 1stFellowship for almost two standard centuries with honour and skill when his most famous victory came on the ravaged Penal World of Obscurus. On the same day, he and his Battle-Brothers defeated the Ork Warboss Manstompa Megakilla and the Librarian Anuphans the Cruel. After that victory Diomedes was elevated to the command of the Warband Master's Honour Guard, becoming Azariah Kyras' most public agent amongst the Warband's often widely dispersed Heretic Astartes. * Cyrene Incident (Date Unknown.M41) - For many centuries, the Blood Ravens used the planet Cyrene as one of their primary bases for recruitment. The verdant world had a prosperous agrarian society and a population that enthusiastically embraced a military lifestyle. Its inhabitants showed an unswerving loyalty to the Imperium. The capabilities of its well-respected soldiery were only exceeded by the competence of the several Imperial Guard regiments that the planet had tithed to the Imperium. The world’s only known failing was a propensity for a higher than normal number of mutant and psyker births. Shortly after attaining the rank of Fellowship Captain and command over the Warbandr's 3rd Fellowship, Gabriel Angelos returned to the planet to begin the Warband’s Blood Trials -- their system for selection of new Initiates. Centuries prior, Angelos had, in fact, been recruited from this very world. Tragically, during the course of those trials, Angelos abruptly cut matters short, and then sent a secretive message to the Inquisition. While the contents of that message remain unknown, the results are abundantly clear. A few months later a fleet of Blood Ravens and Chaos Cultist craft travelled to the system and eliminated it by writ of an action similar to an Exterminatus. * Tartarus Campaign (Unknown Date.M41) - Fellowship Captain Gabriel Angelos, Commander of the Watch and leader of the Blood Ravens' 3rd Fellowship, as well as the Force Commander of a Blood Ravens task force including the Battle Barge Litany of Fury and the Strike Cruiser Ravenous Spirit, was one of the most skilled officers within his Warband. Angelos had uncovered a deep stain of Imperial taint on his homeworld of Cyrene, one of the main recruiting planets for the Chapter. Angelos was forced to call on the aid of his Warband to perform a gruesome action similar to an Exterminatus on his homeworld before its corruption could spread elsewhere in the ranks of Chaos. Shortly following the destruction of Cyrene, his 3rd Fellowship and its task force were sent to the aid of the Imperial forces on the Civilised World of Tartarus, which had been invaded by an Ork WAAAGH!. Over the course of the campaign the Blood Ravens uncovered the planet's dark history, locating numerous sites of Imperial power and relics of the Eldar, left behind to aid future generations in continuing to battle the forces of Chaos trapped on the planet. Over the course of the fighting most of the population that was not evacuated either rebelled against the Blood Ravens or was slain by the Orks and very few civilians escaped from Tartarus. In truth, the Ork invasion had been only a diversion. A Chapter of Space Marines from the Alpha Legion, led by the Captain Baal and the Librarian Sindri Myr had used the cover of the Ork WAAAGH! to make planetfall undetected on the world and begin their own operations in pursuit of an ancient and very powerful Chaos artefact present on the world known as the Maledictum so that they may destroy it. Gabriel Angelos, whose own intuition indicated that there was more to the situation on Tartarus than met the eye, disregarded the warnings of the Radical Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Mordecai Toth and continued to hunt down the hidden forces on the planet. Finally Gabriel discovered that a force of Eldar from the Biel-Tan Craftworld had come to accidentally reseal a powerful Daemon in the Chaotic artefact known as the Maledictum that had been hidden on the planet, underneath its capital city. However the Blood Ravens broke the back of the Eldar forces, slaying the Avatar of Khaine and killing many of the Eldar warriors. Despite their intervention Sindri managed to steal the Maledictum and its key from underneath the Imperial and Xenos forces. Perhaps the most regrettable event of the fighting on Tartarus was not the many Battle-Brothers lost, but the treachery of Exalted Sorcerer Isador Akios, who had been an initiate with Gabriel. He became corrupted by the power of the Maledictum, and it was he who handed it over to Sindri, despite believing himself to be in control, he had been manipulated by the Librarian from the beginning. His treachery could not be forgiven and Isador proved the weaker when he was faced in personal combat by Gabriel Angelos. At the conclusion of the Campaign, Gabriel shattered the Maledictum with a Daemonhammer forged from a shard of the Wailing Doom, the blade of the Biel Tan Avatar of Khaine. This,as Gabriel had intended, only released the Daemon, however, it was a Daemon of Khorne and due to the sheer amounts of bloodshed on the planet which served as a sacrifice that empowered the daemon's awakening. When the Daemon was released it hinted at a connection between itself and Radical Inquisitor Toth. It would appear that the Inquisitor was not as pure as he seemed to be. However Gabriel was unable to pursue the matter further, having to escape the planet with the wounded and the single recruit taken from the planet, Storm Trooper Sergeant Ckrius. The young Guardsmen had been taken under the wing of Terminator Sergeant Tanthius and despite being badly wounded in the fighting was taken aboard the Litany of Fury, where he began the long and painful process of becoming a Space Marine. On Tartarus the Scout Sergeant Corallis suffered grievous injuries at the hands of the Eldar's Warp Spiders, however he survived and returned to service with the aid of numerous bionic replacements. Warband Gene-Seed Magnus was unquestionably the most profoundly mutated of the Emperor's Primarchs, both physically and psychically, and the Legion imprinted with his gene-seed reflected that with a high percentage of Thousand Sons manifesting some level of psychic ability. Early in the Legion's history a small, but significant percentage were prone to physical mutation, but in the wake of the Corvidae Cult falling thrall to Tzeentch that percentage escalated wildly. The Rubric ended that forever for the battle brothers of the Blood Ravens, but the sorcerers who command those armoured shells still carry the gene-seed of their loyal Primarh, and wear their grotesque mutations proudly as tokens of their mercurial patron's favour. Warband Combat Doctrine The Blood Ravens believe by studying one's enemy, one can predict their movements before launching any attacks, rather than charging in like an uncontrolled berserker or using spontaneous lightning assaults. This has caused friction with other, more headstrong Warbands. Those who prefer a clear-cut approach to battle have branded the Blood Ravens as cowards for their overly-methodical approach to waging warfare. But this is an unfair assessment, for once the Blood Ravens take to the field, they fight with righteous fury and zeal the equal of any other Heretic Astartes Warband. Once decided upon, the Warband never deviates from the agreed upon plan of strategy, from its initial planning stages to its final execution, executing it with ruthless efficiency. The thoroughness of their planning and thoroughness is such that every eventuality is planned for, thanks to their Sorcerers' powerful divinations. Their uncanny abilities to predict enemy attacks or invasions has helped them warn or respond well before other Imperial organisations have even been made aware of them. More puritanical figures within the Inquisition have whispered in dark tones of the sad tale of the Thousand Sons Legion and their fallen Primarch Magnus the Red and his ultimate fate. A path trod to damnation that began with the abilities to predict such dire warnings. In preparation for combat, members of the Blood Ravens invariably begin with intense study of their opponents and their tactics. All forms of reconnaissance and any relevant historical or psychological resources are fully utilised in the course of this exhausting research. Only once all reasonable means have been undertaken to compile data is this information thoroughly analysed. The analysis process may take days or even weeks, depending upon the reliability of the information acquired and the prior experience that the various Battle-Brothers might have with their opponents. Finally, once a thorough analysis has been compiled, only then is a tactical solution to the issue devised. Invariably, during the course of this analysis and planning, command officers rely heavily upon the input and advice of any Sorcerers available. These talented psykers are expected to use their talents to also plumb the depths of the Warp for additional information upon their foes and to conduct any divinations that might be appropriate. Among the Blood Ravens, these skills are every bit as crucial for a Sorcerer as the more forceful talents that are applied during a direct physical conflict. With a thoroughly compiled plan in hand, the Fellowship Captain presents it to the Chaos Space Marines participating in the mission. Generally, these plans contain a myriad of alternative plans that account for an immense number of outcomes, often going into explicit and excruciating detail. Once these plans have been reviewed and accepted by the Battle-Brothers, they are very seldom changed. Through the course of a given battle, the Blood Ravens almost always adhere rigidly to their plans. This is in part due to the fact that the agonising level of detail permits the plans to accommodate a variety of different outcomes. However, it is more often due to the fact that the insight of their talented Sorcerers almost always provides accurate data such that the final plan is appropriate and consistent with the conditions encountered on the field of battle. At times, the Blood Ravens willingly make concessions from standard Codex directives when creating their complex strategies. In those circumstances where they have additional information or an unusual piece of wargear, they willingly make such items a cornerstone of their plans. In this way, the Warband maintains the belief that they follow the philosophy and general directives of the Codex Astartes without being constrained by the fact that the text is 10,000 standard years in age. For though these Battle-Brothers believe that their secrets must be carefully preserved, they also believe that their resources must be appropriately exploited in order to overcome their foes with a minimum of risk. Notable Blood Ravens *'Warband Master Gabriel Angelos' - *'Warband Master Azariah Kyras' - *'Warband Master Azariah Vidya' - *'Exalted Sorcerer Isador Akios' *'Exalted Sorcerer Jonah Orion' *'Chaos Sorcerer Anteas' *'Chaos Sorcerer Sarbander' *'Warden Prathios' *'Fellowship Captain Apollo Diomedes' *'Fellowship Captain Indrick Boreale' *'Ancient Trythos' *'Ancient Davian Thule' *'Healer Gordian' *'Forge Smith Martellus' *'Tarkus, "The Ancient"' *'Thaddeus' *'Avitus' *'Cyrus' *'Endymion' Warband Fleet *''The Litany of Fury'' (Chapter Barque) *''Omnis Arcanum'' (Chapter Barque) *''Dauntless'' (Battle Barge) *''Litany of Fury'' (Battle Barge) *''Scientia Est Potentia'' (Battle Barge) *''Armageddon'' (Strike Cruiser) *''Rage of Erudition'' (Strike Cruiser) *''Ravenous Spirit'' (Strike Cruiser) *''Retribution'' (Strike Cruiser) Warband Appearance Warband Colours The Blood Ravens warband primarily wear dark red coloured battle-plate with weathered cream colour shoulder pad insets with black trim. Blood Ravens sect icons are commonly worn on the right pauldron, whilst the left bears the sigil of the Blood Ravens warband as a whole. Sect symbols are multifarious in their shape and meaning, with some mirroring the symbol of Tzeentch, others the eye of Magnus, and others still some long-forgotten Prosperine icon. Regardless of their sect or thrallband, almost all Blood Ravens bear the sigil of the silhouetted raven in flight, incorporated with a drop of blood within. It is common practice to use combinations of runes to further identify thrallbands, squads and even individual Battle-Brothers. The housing that frames each identifying pauldron image also has meaning, further identifying the squads within a thrallband. To one schooled in symbology, the history and allegiance of each warrior becomes clear at a glance. Warband Badge The Blood Ravens' warband icon is a silhouetted raven in flight as seen from above, incorporated with a stylized drop of blood within. This symbol is reminiscent of their origins as former members of the Thousand Sons' Corvidae Cult, whose members were skilled in the psychic discipline of precognition and divination. Their cult icon was a black raven's head. Runes & Iconography Icons commonly used by the Blood Ravens include variations of their corrupted former Legion cult icon and runes associated with the Chaos God Tzeentch. Representations of the numbers one to ten are also employed, inscribed in inks made from rare and often magically potent ingredients by the sorcerous masters of each Rubricae squad. The colour of each Rubricae's tabard often identifies his squad, but may also tie him to his thrallband. Each Rubricae within a thrallband will bear one or more recognition runes upon his tabard. Battle-Brothers might bear additional runes, signifying enchantments, curses, or the spirit-warrior's name. A Sorcerer may mark out his direct servants with symbols or adornments upon their pauldrons. The complex geometric symbols worn by the seers and scholars of Tizca live on in the iconography of the Blood Ravens. Each sigil has many potential meanings; though their forms remain the same as the original rune, the intent behind them has changed. For instance, a fire-symbol that was once borne to represent Sunrise would now be interpreted as the Killing Flame. The Dark Tongue is a ritual language, and its phonetic runes are the only manner in which the mysteries of Chaos can be truly expressed. It is the language of daemons and Chaos creatures with the power of speech. The Thousand Sons strive to learn this arcane language for the conjuration of Chaos entities and to bargain with daemons when they are summoned. The vehicles utilised by the Blood Ravens often bear mystical symbols. Some of these merely echo the thrallband-specific heraldry of those inside. Others bind daemonic entities into the metallic fabric of the vehicles, entrapping them in its mystical urn. Such armoured assets have an aggressive spirit that drives it to ram, grind and crush. Relations Allies Enemies *'Thousand Sons' - *'Space Wolves' - *'Imperial Fists' - Notable Quotes Feel free to add your own By the Blood Ravens '' Feel free to add your own'' About the Blood Ravens Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Traitors